Dark Secrets
by Scifiction786
Summary: Ben has a secret past that no one knows about...
1. Prologue part 1

A/N: Ok, this is my first fanfic. I love Ben, and I think that he is taken as a flat character in the show, so, this is my attempt at creating a Ben that has A LOT more to him than most people think. This prologue is a two parter, then I get to Seaquest. Summary: Who is Ben Kreig, really? A glimpse into the past proves that everything is not as it seems.  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own anything...literally.  
  
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PROLOGUE PART 1  
  
Until the age of 10, Benjamin Kreig Parker had lived a storybook childhood. He had a hard-working father, who somehow always found time to be with his kids, a loving mother, and an older brother who he looked up to and adored. Ben had an especially close relationship with his brother, Kevin, who was eight years older than Ben.  
  
Kevin Parker's self appointed job was to spoil Ben rotten. When he finally was old enough to get a real job, Kevin would spend half of his money buying Ben the latest game system, or the newest toy. The ability to drive only made the two brothers closer, Kevin always taking Ben with him wherever he went. Ben, however, was no-where near a bratty kid. He was always kind and listened to his parents and brother. Both brothers were also straight "A" students, frequently coming home with awards of achievement or trophies from sports activities. All of these awards and trophies adorned the mantle in the living room of the Parkers' picture perfect house. Ben's parents felt like the luckiest parents in the world to have two great sons, and made it a point to let this fact be known whenever the opportunity came up. So Ben enjoyed a childhood filled with happiness to the extent that he never knew what sadness was, or how to be sad.  
  
On his tenth birthday, however, Ben learned a very hard lesson in life: happiness didn't last forever. In one night, everything he had ever known was taken away from him.  
  
****  
  
Birthdays were very important in the Parker household. Every year, the birthdays of each of the four members of the family came, and every year, they celebrated, the entire family taking the day off to spend time with each other. Of course, the kids' birthdays were always much more of a special occasion than the parents', but Ben was the baby of the family, and he was showered with gifts and love and attention - not that he didn't get all of that every other day of his life - but on his birthday, everything was supposed to be perfect.  
  
This July 26th marked Ben's tenth birthday, and his parents and brother had taken him for picnic, then to an amusement park. They returned home late, leaving only after the amusement park had closed and they were sure they had been on every ride. As the car parked, the four of them piled out into the beautiful night. Kevin squatted down on the ground, and Ben quickly climbed onto his back. Sarah and John Parker, Ben's parents, laughed as the two exhausted boys stumbled into the house and followed. They nearly collided with Kevin, who had stopped dead in his tracks just inside the door. Both Ben and Kevin were staring into the living room.  
  
"Kevin? What's wrong, son?" John asked, immediately concerned. Stepping a little further into the house, John looked into the living room from behind Kevin.  
  
"What..." he trailed off, looking at the mess. Everything had been overturned and broken, as if someone had been looking for something. Nudging Kevin a little, John told him to move out of the way, so he could check the house. Finally coming back to his senses, Kevin moved. By now, Sarah had also seen what had shocked the men, and let out a small gasp. A strange look passed between Sarah and John, as if they knew exactly who had broken into their house. A fleeting look of terror was shared between the couple before they both turned to their kids, plastering a puzzled expression similar to their kids' expressions onto their faces. "Kevin, would you please take Ben and your mother and stand outside?" John told, more than asked his oldest son.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED... 


	2. Prologue Part 2

UPDATED A/N: Hi everyone. I'm really sorry that I left this hanging. I had forgotten all about it until one of the reviewers emailed me personally, asking me to continue it. So, since she asked, here it is. I only made some formatting changes in this part of the prologue – nothing to really change the story. Also, be forewarned, this is a pretty angsty story – basically an EBF. Summary: Who is Ben Kreig, really? A glimpse into the past proves that everything is not as it seems.  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own anything...literally.  
  
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PROLOGUE PART 2  
  
Sarah motioned for her sons to stay outside while she followed her husband in.  
  
"Sarah, you shouldn't be in here." John promptly said as he heard her walk into the house behind him.  
  
Rolling her eyes, Sarah replied, "You know I can take care of myself. After all, you are married to an undercover special agent."  
  
"Yeah well, so are you. Sorry, I just...I don't know." John said, hanging his head.  
  
"It's him isn't it? He found us." She didn't expect a reply since she had already seen the signature mark of the madman they had been trying to re- capture for a large part of their careers.  
  
One entire wall of their living room was taken up with a large image of an eye. It wasn't a masterpiece or anything, just an oval with a colored circle inside. It seemed he had taken a permanent marker to sketch the outline of the eye. But the most disturbing was the red iris. It was obvious that the creator of the image had taken no care in trying to stay within the lines or to keep the red liquid from streaking down. The trails actually looked like tears as they ran down the length of the wall. There was also a coppery scent in the living room, and when she stepped further into the house, Sarah knew what the red substance was: blood. She tensed immediately and looked around until she found the object of her search. The body of a black cat lay in the corner next to the wall. Cringing, she looked at the wall again. As she studied the image more closely, she realized that the blood was still wet, which meant that whoever did this had done so recently.  
  
"John..." Her voice had suddenly dropped to a whisper. Looking at her husband, she could tell from his suddenly tense and alert posture, that he also realized what she had just realized. He was still nearby.  
  
Turning, John motioned for her to go check on the kids outside. She left immediately, walking quickly but quietly to the front door of the house. Glancing out the window near the door, she noticed that Ben and Kevin were no longer standing in front of the porch. Reminding herself that panicking wouldn't do any good, she continued towards the porch, picking up her pace a little. When she reached the porch, she scanned the area in front of her. It was late, so there were no lights on in any of the neighboring houses. In fact, the lights of her own house were still not on, though she thought that might be for the best as it would be harder for him to locate everyone. But it would be hard for her to locate Kevin and Ben too.  
  
Letting out a soft, frustrated sigh, she carefully stepped off of the porch and scanned the rest of the area around their house. The street lamps, while they illuminated the wide street nicely, only served to throw their house in more shadows. On instinct, she turned left, silently making her way to the right side of the house and around the back. This side of the house was even more deeply shadowed, as the soft glow of the street lamps was just not powerful enough to bring even the faintest light. The large tree that sat on the right side of their house made sure to obstruct all the remaining light that would have come from the bright July moon. She wished she still carried her gun with her, though she was more than capable of defending herself with her bare hands if she needed to.  
  
While her senses were already heightened, the snapping of a small twig behind her made her even more alert. She spun around to where she had heard the sound, and immediately regretted it as a pair of leather gloved hands clamped a cloth over her mouth and nose. 'I hope Kevin and Ben escaped...' was her last thought as she succumbed to the darkness.  
  
*****  
  
Ben watched his mother disappear into the house from his place atop his brother's shoulders. He knew the instant his mother and father had exchanged that look that this was more than just some break-in. Kevin shifted under him, and Ben realized that his brother was probably uncomfortable with the weight of a 10-year old on his shoulders – literally. He motioned to his brother to let him down, and Kevin awkwardly, though gently, placed Ben on the ground. For some reason, they felt like they should be as silent as possible, although no one had instructed them not to make noise. In fact, he hadn't seen anything to indicate to him that they were in any danger. However, ever since his mother had gone into the house, Ben had felt like someone was watching Kevin and himself. Looking up at Kevin, Ben realized Kevin also had an uneasy feeling, since he kept scanning the sides of the house and the nearby bushes, as if he was expecting someone to jump out of the shadows any moment.  
  
Finally tired of just standing there, Kevin grabbed Ben's hand and gently tugged it, indicating that he wanted to go to the back of the house. The brothers walked silently toward the right side of the house, Kevin still holding Ben's hand protectively. Ben knew where Kevin was headed. He was going to a nicely hidden spot which had been both Ben's and Kevin's secret hideout when they were younger. Of course Kevin had abandoned it a long time ago, and when Ben was old enough, he had told Ben about it.  
  
The hideout was in the perfect place. It was directly behind and not too far from the house so Ben could hear if his parents called him. Plus, he could see into the dining area through the large screen doors and into the living room area through the huge windows. Ben had recently grown out of the hideout, although he still went there sometimes. From the outside, however, it was impossible to see it unless you knew exactly where it was. It was an odd little place that Kevin had discovered during his young exploratory years. The place resembled a huge burrow, although no animal Kevin knew of was big enough to create something like that. More than a burrow, it was like an underground cave. It went quite deep, and was large enough for Kevin, who was a fairly tall and well-built eighteen-year old, to easily sit straight up in. The cave was well camouflaged, sitting only about a foot behind a large, thick bush, while an assortment of vines, leaves, and grass hung in front of and around the actual entrance, which was slightly raised above the ground. If someone were to come around the thick bush, the cave would simply look like a swell in the ground...like a small hill.  
  
Kevin lay down on his stomach, army-style, and looked out toward the house from inside the cave. Ben followed suit. They could see their parents in the living room, though not very clearly, since the lights weren't on. It seemed like they were staring at the right wall that was adjacent to the one with the windows that both brothers were looking through. A few moments later, their dad abruptly turned toward their mom, and their mom nodded and briskly walked out of the living room.  
  
"I'm gonna tell mom where we are," Kevin had spoken suddenly, and it was the first time either of them had said anything since they arrived at the house, so Ben jumped slightly at the sound. Kevin smiled, "Nothing to be afraid of brother, we're just here to be careful. Now listen, I don't want you to move from this spot until I come back and get you. Okay?" Ben opened his mouth to say something, but Kevin added, "No matter what, understand?" Ben simply nodded. Noticing Ben's uneasiness, Kevin said, "Hey, I know this has been a weird birthday for you, but I'll be back in a few minutes and once mom and dad have figured out what's going on, we'll make it up to you. Got it?" Ben smiled and nodded happily, the tension momentarily forgotten, as he thought about what they would do after his parents figured out what was going on. Probably go out for some ice cream.  
  
"Ok, hurry up, then." Ben finally spoke, his voice sounding more childish and innocent than ever. Kevin laughed and made his way out of the cave. Kevin disappeared around the bush, but not before he glanced back once more to reassure Ben that nothing was wrong.  
  
The hideout didn't give a view of the backyard at all because of the tall, thick bush. The only reason that the house could be seen so clearly was because it was on top of a steep hill. Looking back at the house, Ben noticed that his father was no longer in the living room. It was still dark inside the house and Ben became slightly anxious, the uneasy feeling only growing in the pit of his stomach. For some reason he really felt something terrible was about to happen. He closed his eyes and slowly counted to twenty. That always helped him relax.  
  
What he found when he finally opened his eyes was the last thing he expected to see.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED...SOON...  
  
**** Hope you guys liked it. I know it's a cliffhanger, but I promise I'll put the next part up soon. I can go two ways from here, just gotta pick which one. Any feedback – suggestions, criticisms (besides the fact that I didn't update – again, I'm really sorry about that), etc. are greatly appreciated. 


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